My first 2 Halloween Animated videos

[mryantaylor]

Welcome said the Spider
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8JhuVo9crs&fmt=18

Five Little Pumpkins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_wuD4ZFaDE&fmt=18

[Nostalgiascape]

Those are excellent contributions.

[HalloweenDot]

Wow, those are quite good!

I'd love to hear more about how you created them (e.g. what software you used etc).

I am impressed.

Welcome said the Spider
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8JhuVo9crs&fmt=18

Five Little Pumpkins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_wuD4ZFaDE&fmt=18

[mryantaylor]

Wow, those are quite good!

I'd love to hear more about how you created them (e.g. what software you used etc).

I am impressed.

Welcome said the Spider
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8JhuVo9crs&fmt=18

Five Little Pumpkins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_wuD4ZFaDE&fmt=18

Thanks! I spent most of the summer (or at least a good part of it) learning the software. I used Anime Studio Pro which can be had for $99 on academic pricing (my wife is a teacher) or $200 without. The other main software out there, Toon Boom, is hugely more expensive, but both offer completely functional trials (you just can't export the animation). Anime Studio Pro was everything I could have hoped for, especially the virtual 3d camera and object placement. It really payed to work through all the tutorials.

As far as the process of creating these videos. Most of the art was hand drawn and then scanned, cropped, masked and imported into ASP for the animation. Some of it was created (spider, trees, ground) using the program's vector drawing and fill tools. There is a great bone-rigging tool in the program similar to what you would have in a 3D animation so that you can attach your artwork to a skeleton of your own construction. This was very useful with the spider.

Some of the techniques I used for the hand drawn artwork included scratchboard, watercolor and crayon resist.

[Nostalgiascape]

I would love to learn all of that but im afraid my brain is bleeding just listening to you talk about it. I am a good artist, pen or sketch on paper, but this process....I wish there was a book out there to help me learn it.

[mryantaylor]

I would love to learn all of that but im afraid my brain is bleeding just listening to you talk about it. I am a good artist, pen or sketch on paper, but this process....I wish there was a book out there to help me learn it.

There is an official guide to AS, I bought it from Amazon mainly as a reference after I had gone through the tutorials that are included in the 'help' section of the program. If you take it step by step and go through the tutorials, it really isn't that hard to process. You just have to be patient and realize Rome wasn't built in a day. Like I said, they have a free trial you can download : http://my.smithmicro.com/win/animepro/trial.html

Nothing to lose in giving it a go. Also, you don't have to do something quite as ambitious as the projects I started with, I had a very definate goal in mind.

[Nostalgiascape]

I gotta try this

[mryantaylor]

I gotta try this

Go for it!

[HalloweenDot]

I am going to look at the Macintosh version of the software. It sounds like it would be fun to do! I always enjoy learning new things.

I would love to learn all of that but im afraid my brain is bleeding just listening to you talk about it. I am a good artist, pen or sketch on paper, but this process....I wish there was a book out there to help me learn it.

There is an official guide to AS, I bought it from Amazon mainly as a reference after I had gone through the tutorials that are included in the 'help' section of the program. If you take it step by step and go through the tutorials, it really isn't that hard to process. You just have to be patient and realize Rome wasn't built in a day. Like I said, they have a free trial you can download : http://my.smithmicro.com/win/animepro/trial.html

Nothing to lose in giving it a go. Also, you don't have to do something quite as ambitious as the projects I started with, I had a very definate goal in mind.

[mryantaylor]

I am going to look at the Macintosh version of the software. It sounds like it would be fun to do! I always enjoy learning new things.

Awesome. Of course you'll post when you finish something, right?

I'm always wanting to learn new things as well, I guess that's why my site is so schiziphrenic . . . that's sort of the definition of a forum also, for people who want to learn to do all kinds of things.

[HalloweenDot]

When (or perhaps IF!) I do something I will definitely post it. I would like to do something entertaining.

I am going to look at the Macintosh version of the software. It sounds like it would be fun to do! I always enjoy learning new things.

Awesome. Of course you'll post when you finish something, right?

I'm always wanting to learn new things as well, I guess that's why my site is so schiziphrenic . . . that's sort of the definition of a forum also, for people who want to learn to do all kinds of things.

[benjamindaymon]

You've really got something there. In a word... talent.

Well done. That spider one was my favorite... Very cool indeed!

[mryantaylor]

You've really got something there. In a word... talent.

Well done. That spider one was my favorite... Very cool indeed!

The spider one I did second. I learned a lot doing the pumpkin one through. Thanks much!

[Halloween_crazyy]

Those are amazing! What a great way to get into the Halloween spirit!